Sheik, Rattle and Roll

摘要

There were more than a few moments in the complex, fascinating "Syriana"— writer- director Stephen Gaghan's globe-hopping sociopolitical thriller about the oil industry—when I was confused, not quite sure who was plotting to do what to whom, or why. There's a method to this murkiness, it turns out. Like the myriad schemers in the movie—oil-rich Arab princes, Texas entrepreneurs, CIA operatives, Islamic fundamentalists, Washington lawyers, Justice Department investigators—Gaghan uses misdirection to achieve his goals. He takes us into a world that's built on moral quicksand, where the good guys act like bad guys and the bad like good, and everyone has perfectly good reasons to do the terrible things they do. And when the pieces come together and clarity is finally restored, what you discover can make your hair curl.